Wet Tile Saw for Glass Fusing

I wanted to start exploring pattern bars to use in my glass fusing. To do this, I needed to upgrade my tile saw. The last two days I have be working with my new MK 370-EXP tile saw. I have learned quite a few things.

First and foremost, I need a tile saw stand with wheels. This is a very messy tool. Water sprays out the back creating large puddles. My husband rigged up a cut open milk jug to collect the majority of spray. It made enough of a difference so that I could at least get some work done. But in the long run the tile saw needs to be used outside of the garage.

This is a very loud piece of equipment. Ear protection is a definite.

I quickly learned to wait a second or two and make sure the water was flowing over the blade before putting the glass against the blade. Sparks are not good!

Water in the tub gets gritty quickly. I eventually filled a large bucket with water and put the pump in it to circulate clean water over my glass.

I bought a better diamond blade, but no matter how slowly I pushed the glass across the blade, a small amount of chipping seemed inevitable.

This saw is way better than the inexpensive Home Depot saw that I had been using. My Home Depot saw didn’t have a sliding table which made it difficult to move the glass smoothly. Even with a better diamond blade on it the cuts were very rough. I was ready to upgrade and knew I wanted an MK tile saw. My supplier only sold two MK models. I got the MK370-EXP model which has a 7” blade. The other model they sold had a 10” blade and seemed to me more saw than I needed. It was also about twice as expensive. In hindsight, however, I should have considered the MK370 model which is shorter. With the MK370-EXP I have to lean forward pretty far to get the cut made. I upgraded to a better diamond blade and it makes very smooth cuts with a minimal amount of chipping. One thing that I think would be and improvement would be to have a drain plug to make removing the water from the tub easier.

I am slowly checking off the list of equipment that I would like to have in my studio. The next item on my list is a wet belt sander. The problem is I am running out of room in the garage. Maybe it’s time to build a new studio! Just kidding honey!